Debating the Sokovia Accords Five College Model United Nations Mach 6th-8th, 2020 Letter from the Director Dear Delegates, I am very excited to welcome you to the 13th annual Five College Model United Nations conference. My name is Emma Stoll, and I will be your Crisis Director for the committee devoted to Debating the Sokovia Accords. For introduction purposes, I am a sophomore at Mount Holyoke College who is originally from Hampden, Massachusetts. I have participated in Model UN for three years during high school, in which I was a part of the Legal Committee, Human Rights Council, and Security Council. I am currently majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology, but I have a depth of other interests that includes Art, Film, and International Relations. Outside of Model UN, I am passionate about comic books, musicals, and all types of music. The concept for this crisis committee emerged due to details that had vexed me personally ever since watching Captain America: Civil War. The Sokovia Accords in this movie are the cinematic universe’s adaptation of the Superhero Registration Act, which was a comic premise about regulating enhanced individuals that originated in Uncanny X-Men #181. However, as an avid fan of the United Nations and it’s principles, I was annoyed that such an unjust and blatant violation of the Declaration of Human Rights could exist. The accords permit any and all enhanced individuals to be detained without trial, and subjected to a number of human rights violations which are justified under the pretense of ensuring security. This committee is set after the Sokovia accords have been introduced, with the intention of amending the articles before they are implemented. Throughout this simulation, this committee will be asked to create clarity and revisions, in a time when fear is being spread by increasing protests, discriminatory acts, and emerging coalitions devoted to hatred on both sides of the issue. I ask the members of this committee to create a more legal and humane document, that all sides can agree on in order to lessen tensions in this world. If you have any questions about the new information I have introduced into this conflict, feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. I look forward to this years conference, as well as the great events that your secretariat has planned and I hope you all embrace the characters you are assigned. Good luck with your spring semester and I will see you all in March. With Regards, Emma Stoll Crisis Director Debating the Sokovia Accords Five College Model United Nations Table of Contents I. Topic: The Issue of Enhanced Individuals A. History of the Conflict 1. The Accords and Other Relevant Doctrine B. Current Situation C. Questions a Solution Must Answer D. Conclusion E. Character List A. History of the Conflict *This debate is set inside the universe of Captain America: Civil War, and while only that movie is necessary viewing material, it may be helpful for you to watch Avengers: Age of Ultron and all other MCU films pertaining to your specific character (If you have not already). Nothing past Captain America: Civil War is considered canon for this universe. Battle of New York: There are multiple events that lead up to the creation of the accords. First, in 2012, the battle of New York lead to the formation of the Avengers against the Chitauri. This was the first major threat that Earth had seen from an alien race, which was lead by Loki of Asgard. Humanity realized they were not alone in the universe and the Avengers became necessary as Earths Mightiest Heroes and Defenders. The Avengers at this time consisted of Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, The Hulk, and Thor. As the first high profile incident the Avengers are involved in, this was influential in the creation of the Sokovia Accords. This battle resulted in the death of 74 bystanders and cost New York City over 18.8 billion dollars in damages1. Fall of SHIELD: This was the first public battle between HYDRA and SHIELD which occurred in Washington DC in 2014. Terrorist group Hydra was discovered as an active entity inside of SHIELD, which caused Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon had to mount an attack against the HYDRA agents. After the battle was over, there was $2.8 billion dollars in damages that had to be rebuilt and 23 civilian deaths2. This is another instance cited by Thaddeus Ross in forming the Sokovia Accords. Battle of Sokovia: This battle began when Tony Stark created an artificial intelligence program named Ultron in 2015. He created Ultron to act as a protective shield around Earth in the case of another attack from alien entities. After Ultron killed Jarvis and revealed his plans to wipe out humanity, the Avengers attempted to stop his reign of terror. Ultron planned to commit global genocide by causing a meteoric impact. However, the Avengers, which included Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, War Machine, and Falcon were able to stop him in time. However, this battle was not without casualties, which included Quicksilver and 177 civilians. It also created $474 billion in damages of the Sokovian 1Karim, Anhar. “The Major Public Crises In The Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 July 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/anharkarim/2019/07/28/the-major-public-crises-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/ #371af04c6e62. 2 Ibid countryside3. As public opinion of the Avengers turned negative, US President Matthew Ellis created the Advanced Threat Containment Unit (ATCU) in order to find enhanced individuals and prevent future unexpected attacks4. Lagos Catastrophe: In 2016 the Avengers, consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, and Scarlet Witch, attempted to hunt down the Hydra Agent known as Crossbones in Lagos, Nigeria. Crossbones, or Brock Rumlow, was attempting to release a biological weapon. During the battle, Scarlet Witch attempted to save Capitan America and other bystanders, but inadvertently moved a bomb too close to a building and it exploded. 26 civilians died, including 11 relief aid workers from Wakanda5. Due to the Battle of Sokovia, public opinion has been increasingly divided and this is only exacerbated by the destruction in Lagos. Reporters and International Agencies alike questioned what legal authority, if any does an Enhanced Individual such as Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeria. Several international politicians, including King T’Chaka and US President Matthew Ellis, were demanding a system of accountability to prevent future attacks. It was due to this event, that the UN created the Sokovia Accords. Bombing of the UN: At a formal signing ceremony in Vienna, Austria, King T’Chaka was giving a keynote address when a bomb went off which resulted in his death and several other delegates. Originally thought to be the work of Bucky Barnes, it was revealed that Helmut Zemo was behind the attack. This event only served to further divide the emerging factions regarding the Sokovia Accords. The Clash of the Avengers: After the accords were ratified, two factions emerged of superheroes on each side of the issue. Standing against the Sokovia Accords was Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, The Winter Soldier, Falcon, and Ant Man. For the Accords was Tony Stark, Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, Black Panther, and Spider Man. Capitan America and Falcon went rogue 3 Ibid 4 Whedon, Joss, director. Avengers: Age of Ultron. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2015. 5 Karim, Anhar. “The Major Public Crises In The Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 July 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/anharkarim/2019/07/28/the-major-public-crises-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe/ #371af04c6e62. attempting to protect Winter Soldier who was being framed for the bombing in Vienna. Thaddeus Ross granted Stark 36 hours to bring them to him. Stark assembled Black Panther, War Machine, Scarlet Witch, and Vision to bring them back. Then he recruited Spider Man to join them. Capitan America asked Hawkeye to come back from his retirement to help them retrieve Scarlet Witch, who was being detained for her uncontrollable powers after the Lagos incident6. In addition, he also recruited Ant-Man to join the fight. The two groups ended up facing off at an airport in Germany. At this point they are violating the Accords by not turning over Barnes. Iron Man proceeds to follow his direct orders from the United States government to detain them all as rogue agents defying the US government. The two groups fought at this airport. It resulted in Black Widow betraying Iron Man by attacking Black Panther, which allowed Captain America and Barnes to escape. In addition, Vision accidentally hit War Machine with a powerful beam meant for Falcon that destroyed his suit and left him nearly paralyzed. In the end, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, and Falcon were captured and imprisoned in the raft, Spider-Man was sent back home by Stark, War-Machine suffered spinal injuries, and Black Widow went into hiding. Iron Man and Capitan America reconcile in order to defeat Zemo, until Iron Man discovers that Capitan America knew that Winter Soldier, while brainwashed, killed his parents. As Iron Man attacks Winter Soldier, Capitan America also joins the fight. This results in Captain America leaving behind Iron Man and his shield as he heads into hiding with Barnes7. Currently: This Committee is set after these events. In order to get complete cooperation from the Avengers, the UN has agreed to allow the Avengers and other interested parties the time to discuss and amend the Accords until they can all agree with this document.